


between the bars

by downtothewire



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Birthday, F/F, Fluff and Angst, but like mostly angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-19 17:57:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18975370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/downtothewire/pseuds/downtothewire
Summary: Karolina made a promise to Nico before all of this. Before all the evil parents, before the running away, before their relationship even began. This year, with Karolina missing, however, Nico's not sure she'll be able to keep it.





	between the bars

A couple years ago, Karolina promised. Nico remembers it like it was yesterday. She had just gotten a call from her parents letting her know they wouldn't make it home from a business trip halfway across the world in time for her birthday. Nico usually wouldn't have minded, she's not one to celebrate her birthday anyway, but this year she lost Amy - and she was feeling more alone than ever. She knew she did it to herself partly. She pushed away all her friends. So, of course, she mused, she had no one right now.

She looked for her key in her backpack, only to realize she forgot it again. She could even picture it lying on her bedside table. She reached under the carpet for her extra one. She twisted the key in the lock, and heard the front door click open. Her eyes prickled, a couple more seconds and she could be in the privacy of her own room, free to cry. 

During these times, she found refuge in her room, the walls freshly painted black, it was her own personal sanctuary for mourning. There, Nico was allowed to be sad. In her bedroom, she didn’t have to put on the face she chose for the rest of the world: a toughened mask of disdain. There, she allowed the truth that she was still grieving to persevere. The thoughts of Amy made her eyes burn. She could cry on the way to her room; no one was home anyway. Nico let the tears flow freely - messing up her make-up.

“Welcome home, Beta User,” Wisey called out spooking Nico out of her skin. She’d forgotten about the AI, but the scare was quickly forgotten by another sound. She heard something clatter in her kitchen. Nico knew someone was in her house, but no one was supposed to be home. She grabbed an ashtray from the coffee table and tiptoed towards the kitchen ready to take out whoever dared invade her privacy.

She stopped in her tracks and put down the ashtray, when she walked into the kitchen to a tall blonde girl with her back to her - her long legs on display because of her shorts - Nico would know who it was anywhere.

“Karolina?”

The girl turned on the balls of her feet with eyes wide in shock, flour smudged all over her face. In true Karolina fashion, she started apologizing immediately, “Nico! I- I’m so sorry. I should’ve texted you first. Told you I was coming over. I shouldn’t have let myself in, but I remembered you always had the extra key beneath the carpet because you forget yours and i know that, and I also know you probably don’t want anything, but I-“ Karolina stopped herself, breathing shallow from her rant, “Give me a minute, and I’ll show you.”

Nico just stared back at her confused. She hadn’t answered Karolina’s texts in weeks. Why was the girl in her home?

It seemed she would have to wait to find out, because once she was done talking, Karolina just crouched in front of the oven and watched it intently. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what Karolina was doing given the date, but it doesn't explain why she was doing it. 

Nico decided to wait.

The timer on Karolina’s phone went off, and she jumped up to turn it off. Nico flinched at the memories of that same sound waking her up in the morning. Her mother told her she made the alarm on the Wizard phones to specifically annoy her. Nico knew it probably wasn’t true and her mother was being sarcastic, but a part of her still sort of believed it.

Karolina, overly eager with her own creation, didn’t even bother to put on oven mitts. She grabbed the tray with a kitchen towel, and yelped as she placed it on the counter top. She placed her burnt finger between her lips to cool it off. Nico couldn’t help but find her endearing, her eyes rolling with affection.

Once soothed, Karolina grabbed a knife from a drawer and a plate from a cupboard on the other side of the kitchen. Nico was impressed by how much she remembered the way around the space. She cut a piece from the tray, but Nico could still not see what was inside. She still hadn’t said a word to her after her name.

“I know you don’t care much for cakes, so, I made you brownies,” Karolina explained offering her the slice of brownie. She walked hesitantly to Nico as if trying to gage her mood. Nico kept as much of her mask up as she could, but accepted the offer anyway taking the plate in hand.

“Wait, it’s not done,” Karolina exclaimed. She ran to her backpack on the counter and opened it, revealing a party hat inside. If Karolina thought Nico would put that anywhere near her-

But before she could even finish her thought, Karolina put the hat on herself. As she skipped to the fridge, her back turned to Nico, Nico smiled one of her few genuine smiles since Amy. She couldn’t contain her lips tugging upwards at the sight of the taller girl. When Karolina turned around with a tub of ice cream in hand, Nico did her best to hide the smile, but the sparkle in Karolina’s eye indicated she saw more than Nico was willing to lead on. 

Karolina opened another drawer and grabbed an ice cream scooper. Nico couldn’t contain herself anymore, her curiosity got the best of her.

“How do you know where everything is?”

“Well,” Karolina said while searching for something else in her bag, “You never knew when we were kids so I just kind of you know," she gestured her hands around in the air, "memorized it all.”

Nico was suddenly attacked with memory after memory of Karolina sleeping over combined with confusing feelings Nico was not ready to address yet. Feelings she’d forgotten about up until this moment.

Karolina found what she was looking for as she triumphantly held up a small candle and a lighter in victory. She opened the ice cream tub, scooped out a ball of it, and placed it over the brownie. The ice cream melted slightly as it came in contact with the hot dessert. Karolina took the candle and placed it in the ball of ice cream.

“I know you always say that when people put the candles in desserts, it ruins it. So, like, I thought the ice cream would be a good buffer,” she explained, Nico stood in shock with it all, as she lit the candle. The flame reflected off Karolina’s face, and a mesmerized Nico barely heard it when Karolina whispered, “Happy birthday, Nico.”

On instinct, Nico blew out the candle, and Karolina’s smile grew wide. She felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. 

In that moment she missed all of them. 

She missed Chase and his dumb competitive self when they played monopoly. She missed him in a my insufferable brother kind of way. She missed Gert and rolling their eyes together at idiotic things. She missed the fed up connection they seemed to share. She missed Molly and how she’d burst out dancing anywhere they went. She suddenly felt protective over the younger girl. She also missed Alex. He is her best friend after all - well, right now she guesses it's supposedly her best friend. She missed him, and his rants about subjects Nico knew nothing about or even less cared to know about. She missed the way he always seemed to look out for her in a crowded room. 

And, most of all, at that exact moment, she missed Karolina, even though she was standing right in front of her.

After brownies and a few moments of casual conversation, Nico decided to approach the question that was still nagging in the back of her mind.

“Karolina, why are you here?”

Karolina frowned as if it was obvious, “It’s your birthday.”

“I know, but-“ Nico wanted to continue but she couldn’t. An Amy-sized lump formed itself in her throat. Karolina reached for her hand.

“I was always here for your birthday. That wouldn’t change this year, and it won’t change any other year. I’ll always be here to celebrate this day with you, Nico.”

And that was the promise. She’d made it to Nico some two years ago, and Karolina had kept it so far - no matter how close or far apart they were at that moment. This year, however, it doesn't look like she'll be keeping it, because Nico doesn't know where Karolina is or if she’s coming back. She could be anywhere, because Jonah has her.

She hears a soft knock at her door as she intently watches a random paint chip on her ceiling through the darkness in her room. She considers ignoring it. Having been brooding alone in her room all day, she could do with a little more brooding. She thought she made it clear she wanted to be left alone, but apparently not. 

The knocking continues as Nico stands up from bed and wills herself not to yell at anyone - not again. She finds a sheepish looking Alex on the other side of the door.

“Hey, I know not to bother you, but it’s not me, it’s Molly. She needs you in the kitchen.”

“Is everything okay?” 

Her mind is quick to slip into panic mode, and Alex must have been able to tell because he immediately comforts, “No! No! Nothing like that! She just made you something.”

Nico hesitates.

“Yes, you have to,” Alex tells her, reading her mind again. He needs to stop doing that. “Come on, Nico, the kid’s been working for hours.”

Nico sighs, “Okay. Fine. Lead the way.”

Nico numbly follows after him. The hostel feels empty now. What once felt like a new home to build, only makes her want to distance herself. Every corner has a memory of Karolina. Every part of it is tingling with her presence, and Nico can’t help but feel like the whole place is haunted. Haunted by a ghost of someone who she doesn’t even know if is dead or not. And with that thought, Nico’s breath catches. She feels like she’s the one about to die.

She slides down the wall, holding her head in her palms, but before she can hit the ground, she feels Alex’s hand prop underneath her arms holding her up.

“You got this,” she barely hears Alex tell her, her temples pounding. The hostel spins as he practically drags Nico towards the kitchen. Molly stands in a dirty apron over a cake smiling so wide that it makes Nico’s lips twitch upwards. For a brief moment, she forgets about everything, but just as fast as she forgets she remembers.

Nico takes in her surroundings. Leslie, Xavin, even the dining table itself are all riddled with memories of Karolina. Everywhere Nico looks all she sees are stains of her former lover. Her eyes water, and Molly’s smile falls.

“You don’t like it?” The younger girl asks, disappointment clear in her voice.

Nico wipes her tears, “No, no. I love it, Molly. I do. Thank you.”

Alex gives her a sympathetic smile, and joins the others on the other side of the table as Molly’s smile returns. Her smile makes Nico think that forcing her own for a while is worth it. They start singing Happy Birthday, but Nico can barely hear it as she focuses on keeping her emotions in check for the younger girl who has been through enough already. She deserves this moment to be untarnished.

When they finish, Molly hands her the knife to cut the cake. Nico mechanically follows the steps she’s supposed to and hands Molly the first piece. After eating her piece in silence as they talk around her, Nico thanks everyone, specially Molly, and excuses herself. With how tired she's feeling right now, maybe she’ll be able to sleep for the first time in forever.

Stripping, and not bothering to put on pajamas, Nico falls into bed - drifting off immediately.

As Nico wakes up, she knows she’s dreaming. The light filtering in is bright and Nico’s heart doesn’t feel heavy. This isn’t real life, but Nico doesn’t mind escaping real life for a couple of moments in exchange for whatever this was.

She hears a soft knock at her door again. Curious to see who it is, even though she already has an inkling, she calls out, “Come in.”

She hears the raspy voice before she sees her, “You thought I’d forget?”

“Forget what?” Nico finds herself asking as she turns to see her. She feels she barely has control of her body at the moment, like she’s watching the dream happen to her.

Karolina stands ethereal, almost glowing in the sunlight. She looks how she looks every time Nico has been able to dream since she left. Her soft smile makes Nico feel safe for the first time since they last saw each other.

“I’d never forget, Nico,” she tells her without answering her question - a plate with a single brownie and a scoop of ice cream in hand, a candle lit on top. Nico wasn’t sure any of that was there before.

“I knew you wouldn’t.”

Karolina walks over to Nico. She extends the brownie out to her.

“Make a wish.”

Nico blows out and wishes for the only thing she can want right now: for Karolina to be there when she wakes up, but for now she’ll enjoy the dream.

A week after, Nico gets her back. Karolina is weak - drained of her life force by Jonah, and all Nico can think about is making sure she’s okay. Sometimes her thoughts drift to wishing she were the one to kill him, but she gets out of that mindset and reminds herself of what matters: she didn’t lose Karolina.

She told her she loved her the moment Karolina’s eyes opened when they got her back. Hearing it said back was something Nico never thought she'd experience.

In her second week back, they find out that Karolina needs the sunlight in order to feel better. So, they lay her out in the sun spots inside of the hostel as Nico quietly reads a book beside her. Karolina slowly regains her strength everyday. 

Nico sobs the day she walks into the room with breakfast for her and sees she’s sitting up on the bed. She proceeds to drop the tray as her hands shake and profusely apologize for the mess. Karolina comforts her that it doesn’t matter, nothing matters anymore, but them being together. Nico couldn’t agree more.

She wakes up one day and Karolina isn’t there. She panics, scared that the last couple of weeks were nothing but a dream. She runs around the house trying to find her, frantic until she spots her in the kitchen. A single brownie on a plate, the wrapper next to it - Nico assumes because she’s not yet strong enough to cook by herself. A scoop of Gert's ice cream on top of the dessert. Karolina would hearing a lot about that from the purple haired girl later. Ever since they got Gert back, she's been herself times thirty. So, even though Nico was scared for Karolina's life, she appreciated the risk. 

Karolina's trying her hardest to light the candle, but her hands tremble weakly as she attempts to make the lighter ignite. Nico stills her as she takes away the lighter.

“I’m sorry I missed it,” Karolina says as her sad expression glows in the candlelight between them. The sight brings back memories Nico never wants to forget.

Nico shakes her head earnestly, “You didn’t.” She blows out the candle before placing a soft kiss against Karolina's lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so first: not how I think s3 will go down at all. In my head, Chase and Karolina get rescued ep 1, and the efforts of the first half of the season becomes rescuing Gert.
> 
> Also, Im sorry this is my return to ao3 and its angsty. This was just an idea that got me out of my writing slump and i thought id share it. But I'm working on a one-shot and planning out a fic that are not angsty and im really excited about writing both. The title is from Elliott Smith's Between the Bars, which is a good song everyone should listen to.
> 
> Thank you for reading this and let me know how you feel about it please. Im really happy to be back <3
> 
> twitter: downtothewire2, tumblr: downtothe-wire


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